Cleveland settlement’s mass shooting ‘linked to illegal mining war’

Emergency service personnel remove a body after 12 people were killed at Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland. Picture: Nigel Sibanda A hail of gunfire tore through Cleveland’s Jumpers informal settlement in Johannesburg on Tuesday night, leaving 12 people dead and nine wounded in what police describe as a coordinated attack. While the motive remains unclear, experts warn the massacre may be tied to violent disputes over illegal mining.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said yesterday that about 10 gunmen entered the informal settlement on Tuesday night and startedshooting at people randomly. “Eight men and three women were declared dead at the scene, while another man succumbed to his injuries in hospital,” she said. “At least nine people were taken to various hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds.” Nevhuhulwi said the gunmen were dropped off by a white Toyota Quantum near a petrol station in Cleveland and allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances, opening fire before fleeing in the same vehicle.

Witness Maluleke, senior criminologist at the University of Limpopo, said thelink of the mass shooting to illegal miningcannot be overruled. “The fight against illegal mining is not for the local police; the department of mineral resources and energy should be involved, together with the traditional leaders and community members,” said Maluleke. “The police alone cannot win this war.

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How can police confiscate illegal mining equipment if community members don’t provide information?” Mike Bolhuis, an investigator specialising in serious violent, economic and cybercrime, said the shooting seems to be linked to illegal mining squabbles. “It should not be difficult to find the lead here, especially if highly trained investigators can probe the matter,” said Bolhuis.

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